Welcome to my blog for reviewing the best Mexican restaurants and food in Orange County, CA. I intend to cover as many as I can . . . and all sorts and price ranges: "From taco trucks to fine dining . . . and everything inbetween." Newer entries tend to focus on photos more than words. Number of restaurants covered so far: 268+. See The List

Thursday, July 28, 2011

(Lake Forest, CA) July 28, 2011 – Today Del Taco is adding two new burritos to its popular menu with the introduction of the 59¢ Chipotle Value Bean & Cheese Burrito and the Nacho Crunch Burrito. Both burritos reinforce the chain’s reputation as the go-to place for the best tasting burritos at a great price.

“These days, when folks go out for food, they’re looking for deals,” said John Cappasola, Del Taco’s Chief Brand Officer. “And while they know they can get a great fast food deal at just about anywhere, real fans know where to go for the highest quality food at the best price. Del Taco cannot be beat for value and taste.”

The Nacho Crunch Burrito is made with seasoned beef, slow-cooked beans, nacho cheese sauce, sour cream and tortilla chips wrapped in a warm flour tortilla. Del Taco is also offering a Nacho Crunch Burrito Meal for $5 that includes the new burrito, two regular tacos, small fries and a small drink.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

There's a restaurant that opened recently in Tustin that for a time was going to be called Pablo McGinty's, a sort of Irish/Mexican fusion place (it ended up being called Pablo's Cantina and we will have a review of them) which seemed like a unique idea but it had actually been done before. The place was called Jose McCoy's and the one I remember going to was in Seacliff Village in Huntington Beach. Oddly enough, I went with a friend who was of Irish/Mexican heritage. The first time I went was as a teenager and this friend's mom took us there because she loved the seasoning they used on the fries. I went a few more times and then I don't think it lasted there much longer but moved to near Warner and Bolsa Chica and then that location closed down a couple years ago.

Sooooo.... earlier today I'm driving with my boss to go get some lunch and he directs me to that same shopping center. When we pulled in I asked, "Do you remember Jose McCoy's being here?" He didn't answer my question directly but pointed me to Sammy's Burgers Subs & Tacos (listing on Yelp):

I was hungry so at that point I was more focused on eating than nostalgia but when I got inside I found that there was a Jose McCoy's mural on the wall:

What a surprise. Turns out Sammy's is in the same spot that Jose McCoy's was in. I quickly ordered a chipotle chicken avocado quesadilla as evidenced by this rather mundane photo:

I then asked the owner, Sammy, if any items were held over from when it had been Jose McCoy's and he mentioned the strips and cheese as the only item. I also found out during this visit that this was also Sammy's second location and it came back to me that I had gone to his prior one at Beach and Talbert in the 1980s. Then I found out while typing this up and doing further research that Jeff Overley had written up the strips and cheese before at the Orange County Register's Food Frenzy blog. Does anyone else remember Jose McCoy's and the seasoning on their fries and the strips and cheese? Of course the other place to get strips at cheese at is at Zack's at the Beach.

Friday, July 08, 2011

Coming up next week is Munchathon, "A unique festival that combines a 5K-obstacle course with a food truck festival featuring your favorite food truck in OC & LA, entertainment and more!" It's like a way to work off calories as you eat.

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – The first-ever Munchathon, featuring a 5K fun run and obstacle course with food/beverage stops and a festival of munchies has announced a few of the food and beverage sponsors to be part of the race PLUS new gourmet food trucks added to the lineup!

The following beverages will be on the course AND more are to be announced soon:

8th Continent Soymilk

The ever-so-delicious soy milk comes in sweet flavors vanilla, chocolate and original. Get ready to quench your thirst with this superb drink. Might go well with a chunky chocolate chip cookie (*wink*).

So far the following local food vendors will be on the course and more to be announced soon:

Meringue Bake Shop

Oh, do we have something sweeter than ever planned for all you Munchathon race participants! The scrumptious delicacies of Meringue Bake Shop of North OC will be one of the food stops on the 5K course. Known for their Push Cakes, Whoopie Pies, Cookies & Cream Brownies and exquisite cupcakes, Meringue will be offering a taste of what’s cook’n in their kitchen and after the race, they will be selling all sorts of delicious goodies.

Front Porch Pops

Welcome the soon-to-launch and cart newbie Front Porch Pops to the Munchathon course! Chill out with samples of artisans popsicles in mouth-watering flavors like Syrah Poached Pear, Strawberry Rhubarb, Creamy Lemon Buttermilk, Mango Lassi, Blueberry Lime and many more. And after the race, Front Porch Pops will have items for sale at the festival portion of the event.

*MORE food sponsors to be announced soon!

As for the festival of gourmet food trucks after the race, see our updated list below:

THE GRILLED CHEESE TRUCK (comfort cuisine)

DOSATRUCK (Indian cuisine)

AHN-JOO (Korean cuisine)

SLAPFISH (sustainable seafood)

SHORTSTOP BBQ (Texan-style BBQ)

DOS CHINOS (Latin Asian fusion)

ORGANIC OASIS (smoothies)

LOUKS TO GO (Greek cuisine)

RAGIN CAJUN (Creole and Cajun cuisine)

NO JODAS KITCHEN (Cuban cuisine)

TROPICAL SHAVE ICE (Hawaiian shave ice)

CHUNK-N-CHIP (artisanal cookie ice cream sandwich)

SEABIRDS (vegan friendly cuisine)

TORNADO POTATO (a twist on the average fries)

GO COUNTRY 105 CHUCK WAGON (Southern, Country and Tex-Mex)

COOLHAUS (cookie ice cream sandwiches)

PIAGGIO ON WHEELS (Argentinean cuisine)

THE OC FOOD TRUCK (innovative sandwiches and burgers)

SPUDRUNNERS (gourmet potato-inspired creations)

WHITE RABBIT TRUCK (Filipino fusion)

And more announcements daily on munchathon.com!

Also, ticket giveaways for the run and festival have begun on the Munchathon Facebook and Twitter pages. Registration (includes festival admission) now through 6/30 for runners is $49 and for a team is $189. General Admission Tickets are $12 and Early Admission Festival Tickets (10 a.m. entry time) are $22. Children ages 6 and under are free. Register for the Race HERE! or Buy Festival tickets HERE!

Do you have questions for us? Well, check out our FAQ.

ABOUT MUNCHATHON

Eat your way through the first-ever Munchathon, a food-themed fun run and obstacle course featuring local food and beverage vendors, which takes place at Oak Canyon Park, near Irvine Lake, on July 16. The event will have two major elements: the 5K run/walk with food/beverage stops and food-themed challenges, and a festival of dozens of gourmet food trucks.

This event was designed for those of you who love food, follow more gourmet food trucks than actual people on Twitter, dash to your favorite restaurant despite your non-existent lunch break, devour whatever might be in arms reach at that very moment and consider yourself the ultimate foodie.

Run, walk, skip and munch your way through the scenic course overlooking Irvine Lake. You will encounter obstacles and have several stops where you will have the opportunity to eat sample-size food items from gourmet food trucks and other vendors. You can also expect beverage stops along the course as well. Get a team together or go solo, dress up as bananas or hot dogs or piggies--whatever gets you pumped--and bring your appetite. After the run, participants will have access to a festival of gourmet food trucks, beverages, entertainment, vendors and lots more.

We only have TWO RULES for all attendees and they are…

DASH & DEVOUR.

Only the ones with the strongest appetites will survive.

Munchathon is open to all ages. The 5K fun run goes from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Early admission to the festival is from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and general admission starts at 11 a.m. The event ends at 5 p.m.

To register for the 5K fun run/obstacle course (which allows access to the festival portion of the event) or to purchase tickets for the festival, go to munchathon.com.